Colton Coale
Home I am Colton Coale and was born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma. I have traveled the United States, and some of the world, but I have never moved. My family is native to central and southern Oklahoma and ha s been for quite some time. Going back four generations, my great grandmother, Estella Claxton, on my mom’s side of the family lived in Healdton, Oklahoma where she had my grandmother, Beverly. Healdton is also the birthplace of my mom, Sherri. My dad’s side, however, is a different story. Being the son of a high school teacher, his parents moved around a TON. He was born in Greensburg, Kansas but called Tuttle, Oklahoma home because it was his family’s lengthiest stay and is where he went to high school. In the midst of his childhood, my dad lived all over the United States, so it was inevitab le that he and his parents had more interaction with diverse people than my mom’s side of the family, who never moved until they all recently relocated to the Norman area. The United States has been home to my family for as far back as I can recall. We have Scottish and German blood on both sides and my grandma on my mom’s side even has some Native American blood in her. Religion Christianity goes back at least four generations in my family. Starting with my great grandparents, on both sides, we have been members of the Church of Christ. My dad’s dad has been a preacher for as long as I can remember. I was brought up in the church and have continued to be active at our local church to this day because my ancestors that came before were so faithful and dedicated. There is no question that our religion has shaped our viewpoints as a family and as a result, how we view people from different cultural and racial backgrounds. The values that have been passed down from generation to generation seem to all have a common theme; we are all human and created by God and therefore we should treat everyone with equal dignity and respect. My family has many yearly traditions, like most American families I think. We all get together and eat way too much food on Thanksgiving. My grandmothers usually do all of the cooking unless it involves some sort of meat on the grill, then my dad or grandpa would be in control. Otherwise, the women hardly ever allow the men to enter the kitchen to mess up their cooking. We also celebrate Christmas, again like many American families do. The same goes here as far as meal preparation; grandmothers are always in the kitchen preparing the meal and everyone else lies around enjoying one another’s company. We also celebrate Easter, usually in Blanchard, Ok where my dad’s parents live and again, all we really do is eat, eat and eat. Race Dating back to my great grandmother, Estella, I am sad to say that some racial stereotypes were instilled in her beliefs and thought processes. As a cultural norm at the time, African Americans were still very much oppressed considering the time period. Born in 1915, she survived both the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma and the Great Depression and to this day, the pantry at my moms house is stock full of non-perishable canned goods just in case. I can remember a specific time in middle school when my best friend, an African American, was actually at my house and my granny grabbed me and whispered, “Colton you better clean up the house, it looks like a bunch of blacks live here.” As ashamed as I was of her comment, it was simply a result of the time period in which she grew up and the cultural norms that are tough to break. Also, keep in mind that she lived in a predominantly white oil town in southern Oklahoma her entire life. In her defense, she loved my best friend and never had a problem with him, she just simply did not know he was at our house. She was in no way a racist, it was just a relapse that was embedded in who she was for so long. In contrast, my dad’s side of the family has probably been in more contact with individuals from different cultures simply because they have been all over the country. My dad was a coach in Purcell, Ok, a town with a high number of African Americans and Hispanics, so he had a significant amount of experience interacting with diverse individuals. As a family today, I am confident that we are very comfortable interacting with and embracing different races and cultures. Gender Roles The gender roles that exist in my family are probably the most interesting aspect of my research in my opinion. As previously discussed, at all family gatherings the men rarely spend time in the kitchen, which is probably pretty common in most American homes. Going back a generation, the gender roles were even more defined by the time period and American culture. The women always did the cleaning and cooking and laundry and anything that had to do with keeping up with the home while the men were away at work trying to provide for the family. This dates back to “old school” or more traditional American views. But here’s where that all goes out the window. Today, my mom supports our family. She is a basketball coach and goes to work every single day while my dad basically hangs out. He is a “retired” high school teacher and baseball coach and now spends most of his time fishing while my mom puts the food on the table. That’s where her job stops and my dad’s starts. He does 90% of the cooking and laundry and duties that must be done at home. A complete 180 turnaround compared to the older ways of American life. Theory The first theory that comes to mind when considering older generations of my family is the Critical Race theory, which challenges cultural treatment of racial groups and assumes that racism is a “normal” part of American society. This theory explains my great grandmother’s viewpoints of African Americans and is further confirmed by the fact that the members of the white majority supported laws only benefitting themselves. As this is a media theory, storytelling was her primary form of getting messages across because it wasn’t until late in her life that radio and even television were brought into the picture. All she really knew was from word of mouth and the people she saw in town. Moving forward a couple generations, my parents and I fall into the Identity theory. This theory is based upon how we construct the representations we use to present ourselves to the world and how we define ourselves and in turn, interact with others. We all grew up in the church, so I think that is a big part of our evolution as a family in terms of accepting and embracing different cultures and races. My parents are both coaches and teachers, so it was inevitable that they were in daily situations that involved many diverse people. Expanding to the Social Identity theory, which suggests that relationships within groups, such as sports teams, affect individuals and other groups. Athletics is a prime example of meshing diverse people into a cohesive unit. This is not possible without having a strong identity and understanding both internal and external factors. Conclusion After all of my research, it is apparent to me that all of these influences have made me who I am today. I now see the racial and gender stereotypes that my ancestors grew up with and because of that, I have an example of what not to do. Furthermore, my parents have done a beautiful job transitioning the family values from traditional, old school ways to a more timely and innovative way of dealing with all different types of cultures. I like to believe I am more well-rounded than my parents, who are more well-rounded than their parents, and so on. Family Tree Category:Students